Gansu Prayers on the Plateau

Home , Hezuo, Langmusi

GANSU PRAYERS ON THE PLATEAU JUNE 9 - JUNE 15 2019 PREPARED BY THE HUTONG FOR VICTORIA SHANGHAI ACADEMY, HONG KONG KEY CONCEPTS TEAMWORK NOMADIC CULTURE & HISTORY Our aim is to help students develop leadership, communication, and Home to hundreds of yaks and the nomads that tend them, Gansu is one interpersonal skills under challenging circumstances while also improving of the three provinces that used to belong to the Tibetan kingdom. Its their understanding of team dynamics. The Hutong’s carefully planned history still breathes in the many monasteries that dot its windswept plains culinary activities will test students’ abilities to work effectively as a team. and soaring red-rock mountains, making Gansu a place that offers both By the end of the program they will understand and be able to identify astounding natural beauty and exceptional cultural windows for those the benefits and challenges of TRUE collaboration. willing to stray into one of China’s more remote regions to find them.

PHYSICAL CHALLENGE TIBETAN BUDDHISM & TRADITIONS To offer students a rewarding physical challenge that pushes personal While Gansu is known as the Gateway to Tibet, its unique culture is also and physical growth. The Gansu program will test their tenacity and move influenced by its large Muslim population and proximity to Mongolia. them beyond their perceived comfort zones, all in the spirit of a safe, We will be visiting secluded temples and monasteries where we will controlled and mediated adventure. By the end of the course students will have the chance to learn about traditional paintings known as thangka have developed a greater appreciation for and ability to exert themselves and traditional means of worship and prayer. We will have the chance physically, mentally and emotionally. Gansu offers the chance for true to meet some monks on our journey and learn about the significance of adventure. Be prepared for challenges of every kind, whether it’s carrying Tibetan Buddhism to the local people of Gansu and their culture. your own gear up a hard hike or breathing at an altitude of more than 3000m, Gansu will be a journey through wilderness and national parks.

GANSU: JUNE 2019 2 DESTINATION: GANSU

Home to hundreds of yaks and the nomads that tend them, Gansu used to belong to the Tibetan kingdom. Its history still breathes in the many monasteries that dot its windswept plains and soaring red-rock mountains, making this region a place that offers both astounding natural beauty and exceptional cultural windows for those willing to stray into one of China’s more remote regions to find them.

Our week-long trip will begin in and finish in Gansu’s provincial capital Lanzhou. A cross between wilderness and cultural exploration, our journey will take us to secluded temples, remote gorge and mountain hikes and both a Tibetan village and nomadic tent homestay in a quest for authentic immersion. While this region is known as the Gateway to Tibet, its unique culture is also influenced by its large Muslim population and proximity to Mongolia and Sichuan.

Still undisturbed by the furor of tourism, Gansu still offers the chance for true adventure. Be prepared for challenges of every kind, whether picking up a new phrase in Tibetan or breathing at an altitude of more than 3000m, and also for the chance to create memories that will last a lifetime.

GANSU: JUNE 2019 3 ITINERARY & DAILY SCHEDULE Meals provided indicated in schedule as Breakfast (B), Lunch (L), and Dinner (D) DAY LOCATION ACTIVITIES

Day 1 Hong Kong - Evening June 9 Lanzhou Afternoon Flight from Hong Kong to Lanzhou Airport Pick-Up Accommodation: Lanzhou Niu Rou Mian Dinner + Introductions Ibis Hotel Hotel Check-In

Meals: D Day 2 Lanzhou - Baoma Morning June 10 Breakfast at Hotel Accommodation: Transfer from Lanzhou to Baoma (~4 hour drive) Hotel Check in and intro at Baoma

Meals: B, L, D Afternoon Lunch at Snowy Mountain Cafe: Yak Burgers and Fries Tibetan Monastery Scavenger Hunt & Tour Tenzin Dolma Thangka Art workshop

Evening Dinner Debrief and Gratitude Lights Out Day 3 Baoma - Langmusi Morning June 11 Breakfast in Baoma Accommodation: Short Thangka Wall Hike Hotel Drive to Langmusi (~3 hour drive)

Meals: B, L, D Afternoon Lunch at Sichuan restaurant Red Rocks Hike (~5 hours)

Evening Dinner at Leisha’s Restaurant Debrief and Reflection Return to Hotel. Students need to pack 3 bags: 1.) Day pack for the all day hike on May 29 2.) Garbage bag for the nomad tent stay with warm and sleeping clothes 3.) All other clothes, items can go into larger suitcase or backpack Lights out

GANSU: JUNE 2019 4 ITINERARY & DAILY SCHEDULE Meals provided indicated in schedule as Breakfast (B), Lunch (L), and Dinner (D) DAY LOCATION ACTIVITIES

Day 4 Langmusi Morning June 12 Breakfast at hotel Accommodation: Hike through Langmusi Gorge to HuaGai God mountain - Peak is 4200m (~4 hours) Nomadic Tents Picnic Lunch on Mountain

Meals: B, L, D Afternoon Hike 3 hours to Tibetan Village (Hike is 15 km total) Arrive Trailhead in town, meet the bus, transfer to Village Settle into nomadics tents. Help the nomads gather the sheep back to the tent.

Evening Dinner with nomads Debrief and Reflections, Lights out

Day 5 Langmusi - Hezuo Morning June 13 Wake up in nomadic tents. Pack bags and clean tent: Watch nomads milk yak. Gather yak poop. Accommodation: Breakfast in nomadic tents. Learn how to make yak butter, cheese, and yoghurt Hotel Nomad activities rotation, 2 groups: A.) “Sheep Roundup” Lasso a sheep or a tent stake in ground Meals: B, L,D B.) “The Slingshot” Use dried yak dung to try to hit targets With a Tibetan slingshot

Afternoon Make yak dumplings, roll dough, mix meat Eat lunch with nomadic families Depart Nomadic tents, Transfer to Hezuo (~3 hours)

Evening Dinner + Hotel Check-In Reflections and Lights Out

Day 6 Hezuo - Lanzhou Morning June 14 Breakfast in Hezuo Hotel Accommodation: Walk around Hezuo Monastery kora with pilgrims Shambala Hotel Tour Milarepa Temple. Sketching activity for students

Meals: B, L, D Afternoon Lunch in Hezou Transfer to Lanzhou Settle into Shambala hotel Final Group Dinner Final Reflections & Celebrations

Day 7 Lanzhou - Hong Kong Morning June 15 Breakfast in Shambala Hotel Meals: B Depart Hotel to drive 70 minutes to Lanzhou LHW airport Airport Drop Off, students return to Hong Kong GANSU: JUNE 2019 5 TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

MONASTERIES

Home to fascinating cultural artefacts such as traditional paintings known as thangka, we’ll also delve into the religious significance of Tibetan Buddhism in the local culture and watch monks engage in Buddhist-style debates. The tradition of clapping hands during debates symbolises the bringing together of practice (the right hand) and wisdom (the left hand), to achieve deep understanding and clarity.

TIBETAN NOMADIC CULTURE + LIFESTYLE

Our program takes students through the remote regions of Amdo Tibet into the high grasslands and monasteries that are the heartbeat of Tibetan nomadic culture. Eat a cup of tart yak yoghurt, walk under the tall golden spires of monastery halls and giant Buddhas, and trek through rugged mountains to discover how nomads have kept their ways alive for centuries in the midst of an often unforgiving high-altitude environment. With the opportunity to stay with Tibetan nomads, we’ll have insight into their daily routines and lifestyle and learn to appreciate the richness of their culture.

TREKKING ON THE GRASSLANDS

Gansu’s rugged terrain and steep altitude will provide plenty of opportunities for physical challenge. While there is always a risk of mild altitude sickness, we have built the itinerary specifically to ensure that with good health, things should go smoothly. Every effort is made to ensure your wellbeing and safety, and as long as you stay healthy, hydrated, and get enough sleep, you should experience little discomfort due to altitude.

GANSU: JUNE 2019 6 TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

YAKS + WILDLIFE Yaks plays a significant role in Tibetan people’s daily life. Tibetan people rely on yak milk for cheese, as well as for butter for the ubiquitous butter tea and offerings to butter lamps in monasteries. Yak meat is high in protein with only one-sixth the fat of regular beef. In the summer months it is dried, but in winter it is often eaten raw. Yak leather is used as their coats and tents. The outer hair of the yak is woven into tent fabric and rope, and the soft inner wool is spun into chara (a type of felt) and religious practices.Yak hide is used for the soles of boots and the yak’s heart is used in Tibetan medicine. Yak dung is required as a fundamental fuel, left to dry in little cakes of the walls of most Tibetan houses. In fact, so important are yaks to Tibetans that the animals are individually named just like children.

TIBETAN NOMADIC TENT STAY

We will be staying with nomadic families in black yak hair tents with an earthy fireplace in the middle and carpets and cushions all around for sitting and sleeping. By staying with local families, participants will have the chance to interact with their generous hosts by engaging in a cooking workshop to learn how to make some of their traditional dishes along with other traditional nomadic cultural activities like grinding barley powder for their traditional breakfast called “tsampa”, weaving yak hair to make rope and the chance to hear a trick or two herding sheep and yaks.

GANSU: JUNE 2019 7 TRIP HIGHLIGHTS:

LABRONG MONASTERY

Labrong Monastery is the largest monastery in the traditional Tibetan region of Amdo. Established in 1709, Labrang housed over 4000 monks at its peak, but now only has around 1500 monks with another couple of hundred lay students. Located in the Gansu Part of Amdo, Labrang is considered the cultural heart of Amdo Tibetan culture along with nearby town of Rebkong. Labrang is one of the “Great Six” Gelukpa sect monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism.

Labrang Monastery is an important pilgrimage destination for Tibetans living across the Amdo region. Though religious pilgrims come throughout the year, the most popular time pilgrims arrive in Labrang is the weeks before and after Losar, or Tibetan New Year. Large festivals take place in Labrang during Losar each year. A huge Thangka (a huge Buddhist painting) is displayed on the Thangka Wall near the monastery and many thousands of Tibetans are in attendance. Each day during Losar thousands of pilgrims walk the kora (pilgrimage circuit) around the monastery. The pilgrimage circuit is lined with thousands of prayer wheels.

GANSU: JUNE 2019 8 VALUES AND CHALLENGES

Throughout our programs, we challenge students to not only push their THE CHOPSTICK CHALLENGE boundaries and explore their surrounding culture but we encourage them to take responsibility for their actions through embracing sustainable Each student is given their very own set of sustainable bamboo chopsticks travel, making good decisions and supporting their classmates. These with a stylish pouch to keep them in. Why? Forests are being chopped notions are born out of our own company Core Values: down for producing chopsticks – 20 million trees per year to produce 80 billion disposable chopsticks for China alone. To discourage deforestation 1. Be a good egg! and wasteful consumption we avoid using disposable chopsticks and encourage responsibility for possessions. Students who demonstrate 2. Embrace diversity! best sustainability practices will earn the ‘Golden Chopstick Award.’ 3. Light a spark! THE HUTONG HELMSMAN 4. Go the extra ‘li’ (mile)! Mao Zedong was known as “The Great Helmsman” because of his ability 5. Seek challenge! to steer the PRC to the right course of action. At The Hutong, we will choose our Helmsmen and Helmswomen based on who has lived up to 6. Smile more! the Hutong’s Core Values that day, thereby helping steer us to a more successful trip. We typically have each teacher choose someone from We like to challenge students to adopt these practices and award those his or her group, and by the end of the trip each student ends up being who demonstrate such values during the trip, through initatives such as.. recognized for their positive contributions. . GANSU: JUNE 2019 9 REFERENCES

We have been running innovative, custom-crafted educational tours since 2009 with responsible professionalism and while maintaining an exemplary safety record. We encourage all new partners to contact references for an unbiased perspective on their experiences with The Hutong. Below is a list of top administrative contacts for international schools that we regularly run programs for. We are also happy to provide contact information of teachers who have been trip leaders on our programs, and with whom we have worked closely

Simon Joyce [email protected] Brenda Petersen [email protected] Head of Co-Curricular Activities, ISF Academy Hong Kong Assistant Head of School, Concordia International School, Shanghai

Colleen Drisner [email protected] Greg Ladner [email protected] Secondary School Principal, Beijing City International School Associate Principal, Hong Kong International School

Heidi Witt-Williams [email protected] Fred Runkel [email protected] Head of Secondary School, British School of Nanjing Co-Principal, YCIS Shanghai

“The Hutong is the best group I have had the opportunity to work with in my 16 years of doing Week Without Walls programs. They are safety oriented, engaging to students, understand the importance of building solid relationships, great communicators, detail oriented, problem solvers, and an all around fun group of people work with.” Craig Gingerich, Concordia International School Shanghai

“In 32 years of teaching, I have accompanied many school trips all over the world and used many companies. This trip was one of the best and The Hutong deserve to be ranked at the top!” Beryl Scott Rous, Utahloy International School Guangzhou

GANSU: JUNE 2019 10 ABOUT THE HUTONG

At The Hutong, we offer a range of interactive, educational, unique, Each year we expand our destinations and topics. Our goal is to work and fun activities to students and school groups of all different ages. Our closely with schools to incorporate their curriculum and learning objectives interactive programs are designed to broaden participants’ understanding in our educational travels, and give the students and staff exceptional of Chinese culture and allow them to experience an authentic side of experiences. The Hutong is happy to propose customized offsite programs China. We aim to adapt our programs and work closely with schools and that build upon the units of inquiry taught in your school. teachers to create customized cultural activities for various Grade Levels and subject areas. By incorporating grade and subject-specific learning The Hutong places particular emphasis on experiential learning, and targets into the design of our onsite and offsite excursions, The Hutong works increasingly to give its students the opportunity to service the strives to offer top-notch activities that are engaging and relevant. communities they visit. Students who attend Hutong trips engage with global issues by collaborating to plan and execute community service Combining our staff’s expertise in both tourism and education, we have programs. They leave the trip with a renewed sense of their strengths been running unique and creative study tours to off-the-beaten-track and abilities, as well as a more solid understanding of ethical tourism destinations since 2009, with thorough professionalism and maintaining and global development. an impeccable safety record. We aim to broaden students’ horizons by exposing them to memorable experiences throughout China. Our typical educational tours focus on a combination of cultural immersion and outdoor education. We place an important emphasis on experiential learning. We do not just visit tourist spots, but we experience the places we visit and take a step deeper. The majority of our team has a background in both travel and education and this is where we look to excel.

GANSU: JUNE 2019 11 CONTACT INFORMATION

Morgan O’Hara [email protected]

Web: www.thehutong.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +852 5920 5705

GANSU: JUNE 2019 12